This Flash-based interactive provides access to illustrations, visualizations, videos, and near-real time images of the Sun from a variety of NASA satellites. Learners can access this information to supplement other materials related to the Sun and...(View More) heliophysics. A scale tool with the size of the Earth is also presented with the solar images.(View Less)

This lesson plan teaches how to select the landing site for a planetary surface investigation, using the 5E learning cycle. Students will be able to determine a landing site for their Mars rover; work with their team to summarize information and...(View More) identify important details in non-fiction writing; research Gale Crater through an online interactive module; use Google Earth Mars to learn about Mars surface features; gather and analyze data to conduct a scientific experiment; collect and record data in a science notebook to draw logical and scientific conclusions; define and identify the role of controls and variables in teams’ scientific or technical questions; and differentiate between weather and climate. The lesson plan has a number of appendices, including standards alignment. This is Lesson 8 of the elementary school version of the 6 week Mars Rover Celebration curriculum.(View Less)

This lesson plan uses the 5E learning cycle and is designed around an essential question: How do I know when I’ve found important information in my reading? Learning objectives include: identify important details in informational texts; learn and...(View More) or review summarizing skills, work collaboratively to locate important information about Mars such as terrain, climate, and atmosphere; understand the rationale and importance of note-taking; develop effective note-taking strategies; and apply note-taking skills to record key information in students’ science notebooks. The lesson plan has a number of appendices, including standards alignment. This is Lesson 4 of the elementary school version of the 6-week Mars Rover Celebration curriculum.(View Less)

This lesson plan uses the 5E learning cycle and is designed around an essential question: How do I know when I’ve found important information in my reading? Learning objectives include: identify important details in informational texts; learn and...(View More) or review summarizing skills, work collaboratively to locate important information about Mars such as terrain, climate, and atmosphere; understand the rationale and importance of note-taking; develop effective note-taking strategies; and apply note-taking skills to record key information in students’ science notebooks. The lesson plan has a number of appendices, including standards alignment. This is Lesson 4 of the middle school version of the 6-week Mars Rover Celebration curriculum.(View Less)

This iOS app for iPhone, iPad and iTouch, allows families and educators to investigate and learn about the Sun at home, at school, or anywhere. It provides 13 free, easy to use, hands-on activities, plus live images of the Sun from NASA's SDO...(View More) satellite, videos of the Sun, and more. Each activity includes material lists, step-by-step instructions, and detailed explanations. Some of the activities and media pieces are also available on the project website. The activity materials are widely available and inexpensive.(View Less)

The effects on Earth of solar wind, solar flares and coronal mass ejections are discussed and presented visually in a video and several photographs. The role of satellites in monitoring space weather is examined. SciJinks is a joint NASA/NOAA...(View More) educational website targeting middle school-aged children and their educators. It explores weather and Earth science through articles, videos, images, and games.(View Less)

This program uses NASA data and resources to promote authentic classroom research experiences. These two complementary guides lead students through the process of conducting their own inquiry-based research on an Earth-focused topic. In their...(View More) guidebook, students read content and answer questions about each step in the research process- from formulating a question to sharing results. The separate guide for teachers provides explicit instructions, lists the standards addressed, and includes additional hints, resources and websites.(View Less)

This is an activity about the rotation of the Moon. Learners use a penny and a quarter to model that the Moon does indeed spin on its axis as it orbits the Earth. They find that the Moon keeps the same face toward the Earth, but receives...(View More) illumination from the Sun on all sides in turn. This activity is part of Explore! Marvel Moon, a series of activities developed specifically for use in libraries.(View Less)

This is an activity about the history of the Solar System. Learners work in groups to determine the order of geologic events — such as the formation of the Moon and when the bright crater of Tycho formed — and arrange images depicting those...(View More) events in the correct order. The children are introduced to NASA lunar scientists, who are currently investigating the Moon's history, through comic-book style visualizations of their real-life work. Finally, the children share their own histories by drawing, comic-book style, a past connection with the Moon in their own lives. This activity is part of Explore! Marvel Moon, a series of activities developed specifically for use in libraries.(View Less)

This is an activity about Lunar samples. Learners will see snapshots of the Moon's history and hold an important artifact of American history with a Lunar Sample Disk. Earth rocks and soil of similar types as the lunar samples may be provided and...(View More) explored with hands, eyes, noses, and tools. Please note, checking out a Lunar Sample Disk requires training, a secure storage facility, and a minimum of a 6-week lead time. This activity is part of Explore! Marvel Moon, a series of activities developed specifically for use in libraries.(View Less)